Method and Apparatus for Handling Packages in an Automated Dispensary

• US 20110192893A1
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MedAvail, Inc. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MedAvail, Inc. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pauls, Leigh, Suma, Peter, Waugh, Donald, Panetta, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,267,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/74 Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/145 Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for handling a package in an automated dispensary, a package is positioned in an inspection station of the dispensary. Images are captured of the package and are read to identify data on labels or on the package itself. The data is encoded as source data in an identifying label which is applied to the package and is used subsequently in handling the package for dispensing and other inventory management procedures.

Claims

1. A method of handling a package in an automated dispensary, the method comprising positioning the package in an inspection station of the dispensary, capturing an image of the package, reading the image to identify source data, encoding the source data to obtain first encoded data, and applying the first encoded data as an identifying label to the package.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, said reading of the image further comprising machine reading at least a first part of the image at the inspection station to derive a machine readable part of the source data.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, the image including character data, the method further comprising reading the character data with an optical character recognition reader.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, the dispensary being a node on a communications network, said reading of the image further comprising transmitting the image from the dispensary to a remote node on the network and, at the remote node, manually reading the image to derive a manually viewed part of the source data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the identifying label is one of a bar code and a radio frequency identification label.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, the image having multiple parts, the method further comprising illuminating the package from several directions and capturing the respective image parts corresponding to the package being viewed from several directions.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising adjusting the position and orientation of the package to enable the illuminating the package from the several directions and the capturing the image parts from the several directions.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, with the package positioned in the inspection station, measuring a physical property of the package to derive physical data, encoding the physical data to obtain second encoded data, and applying the second encoded data to the identifying label.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising illuminating the package with an illuminating subsystem, recording a provisional image of the package with a recording sub-system, and prior to capturing the image, analyzing the provisional image quality and adjusting at least one of the illuminating sub-system and the recording sub-system to increase the provisional image quality.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, the encoded data being a serialization code, the method further comprising storing an index of serialization codes against corresponding source data.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, the dispensary having a plurality of stations, the method further comprising storing an index of the serialization codes against the stations.

12. Apparatus for handling a package in an automated dispensary, the apparatus comprising, at an inspection station of the dispensary, an illumination module to illuminate the package, an image capture module for capturing an image of the package, a character identifying module to identify characterizing data from the image, an encoding module to encode the characterizing data, and a labeling module to apply a machine readable label bearing the encoded characterizing data to the package.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, the character identifying module having a reader for reading machine readable characters in the image to derive a machine readable part of the characterizing data.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, the reader being at least one of a printed character reader and an embossed character reader.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, the dispensary being a node on a communications network, the character identifying module including a link of the communications network for transmission of the image from the dispensary to a remote node of the communications network, and a manual image inspection unit at the remote node to enable manual inspection of a transmitted image.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the labeling module is operable to apply one of a bar code and a radio frequency identification label to the package.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, the illumination module having multiple light sources to illuminate the package from a plurality of directions, the image capture module having image capture sub-units to capture images of the package as viewed from a corresponding plurality of directions.

18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a physical property measuring module to measure at least one physical property of the package to derive physical data, the encoding module operable to encode the physical data to obtain second encoded data, and the labeling module operable to label the package with a label embodying the second encoded data.

19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, the image capture module operable to capture a provisional image of the package, the reader operable to read the provisional image and to develop a feedback signal, the apparatus further comprising a feedback loop to apply the feedback signal to adjust settings of at least one of the illumination module and the image capture module.

20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising an indexing module to assign a unique serialization code as the encoded data to each package.

21. Apparatus as claimed in claim 20, the dispensary having a plurality of stations and being a node on a communications network, the apparatus further comprising database means at a node on the communications network for storing indexed data, the database means programmed to store at least one of an index of serialization codes against source data and an index of serialization codes against dispensary stations.